Ficlets
by the e t e r n a l -STORY
Summary: The stories that are too short to be stories, the plot bunnies that haven't yet matured, one-shots and drabbles in a bite size form. All go here. Any pairing, any generation, anything that comes to mind, really. Take sparingly. Rated T to be safe.
1. Degrees of Separation

**Degrees of Separation**

Drabble Summary: Gokudera and Emi. Father and daughter. It's not a happy story and not one Gokudera is proud of, and neither will ever know or understand the other side.

**Age 5**

_"Where's daddy, mommy?"_

I miss my daddy. I learned how to read the notes on the piano while he was gone. I want him to be proud of me.

_"Is daddy going to be back soon?"_

I wish he had been here for my birthday. I played the song that he showed me. It's my favorite song and it reminds me of smoke and silver hair and lullabies.

_"When will daddy be here?"_

I wonder if daddy still loves me.

_"Mommy, is it OK to cry when you miss someone?"_

I miss my daddy.

_"Mommy, I want daddy to come home. Can you tell him that?"_

I miss my daddy.

_"Tell him to hurry."_

Please.

_"Tell daddy Emi-chan loves him._"

-

**Age 7**

_"Is daddy going to be home for Christmas?"_

He wasn't home last year. But he almost cried when I played the piano for him, and told me he was proud. That made me happy.

_"Well daddy should hurry home!"  
_

He keeps saying he's a right hand man.

_"I miss daddy, kaa-san."_

I don't see why the Juudaime is more important than Kaa-san and I.

_"He should take the next flight home!"_

Kaa-san says he never thought that.

_"Eh? Why not?"_

I don't know why, but I can't believe her.

-

**Age 12**

_"Is dad going to be there for my graduation?"_

I don't expect it. He was home to recover from an injury and then he vanished.

_"Oh. Tell him I'll send pictures."_

Ones that should have a silver haired mafioso in them. One that should be taken by a father.

_"Is he proud?"_

He better damn well be. I'm going to his junior high, after all.

_"How am I supposed to know what he thinks if he's never around?!" _

He's never there. My dad, for all intents and purposes, doesn't even exist.

_"I don't care if it's hurtful! Leave me alone!" _

I can't hurt him more than he's hurt me.

-

**Age 16**

_"He's not coming to visit us?"_

I'm not surprised.

_"We have to go to Italy to meet him?"_

I hate Italy. They laugh at me when I can't keep up with their Italian and glare when my Japanese surpasses theirs.

_"Whatever. I don't want to talk to him."_

Bastard. Stupid bastard.

_"Tell him to go away."_

Idiot.

_"What, he wants to know if I'm dating Shirou? Fuck off, dad."  
_

He doesn't have a right to care.

_ "I'll see him at the airport. Leave me alone now."_

He never did.

-

_"Is Emi-chan OK?"_

The reproach in my wife's voice is clear. Emi misses me [_but not more than I miss her_]. She has something to show me.

_"Alright. Tell her I love her."_

I barely know my daughter yet I love her. She's like me in so many ways. She makes me proud.

_"Why is she crying? Is she OK?"_

I feel bad. She shouldn't cry over me.

_"...I'll be back as soon as I can get away."_

I promise myself, because right now Emi needs me more than my boss. I never thought I would say that before [_never in my wildest dreams, no never_], but here I am. Tsuna will understand. She's just a kid.

_"I love her too."_

That's the truth. The undeniable truth.

-

_"I'm sorry, I sent a present through the mail. It should make it in time."_

The Vongola is so busy. I couldn't possibly get away this year. Tsuna's in a panic and sword freak couldn't help at all. I was so proud of her when she showed me how she'd inherited my piano-playing skills. She's such a beautiful kid [_she looks like my mother, the one that always lurks at the back of my mind_]

_"I'm so sorry. Tell Emi my job as a Right Hand Man won't let me off."_

I wish I could go home but the Vongola needs me more right now. I'll make it up to her later. I promise.

_"I miss her too."_

I really do. Emi's such a sweet child. I don't get to see her enough. In fact, I see my godson more than I see her [_what a shame, what a pity_].

_"I can't. _Merda,_ I'm sorry."_

-

_"I can't make her graduation. I can be there about two weeks after."_

Damn rioting mafias. This job is going to take weeks. It's keeping me away from Emi. She's 12 already. When did she get so old? Where did 12 years go? [_Down the drain, _I tell myself_, to the Vongola_]

_"I'll wait for the pictures then."_

I can't wait to see how much she's grown. I haven't seen her for months. Italy's kept me away from Japan.

_"Of course I'm proud. Doesn't she know that?"_

How could I not be? She's going to Nami-chuu. I miss that place.

_"Ah...Can I speak to Emi?"_

She's so defiant [_like me, like me_].

_"Emi..."_

When did my kid grow up so much?

-

_"I can't come visit just yet."_

Juudaime needs me right now. I should be free to go anywhere soon, as soon as this problem clears up.

_"You guys will have to come to Italy."_

I want to show my wife and daughter how beautiful Italy is. I don't really like it [_the memories, the memories, I can't let them go_], but I'm sure that Emi and Feliciana will love it.

_"Can I speak to her?"_

I hope she'll talk.

_"Why doesn't she want to speak to me?"_

That stings. That hurts. That hurts more than I expected [_m__ore than a bullet wound or a dynamite to the heart_].

_"Is she still dating Shirou?"_

I wonder, out loud. Just an off question.

_"I...I'll see her at the airport."_

My daughter and I have grown more apart than I'd like [_so far it's like a chasm covered by a sharp veneer of indifferent ice_].

I feel like a failure [_more than I already am_].

I feel no better than my own father, Emi's grandfather, that she'll never know or meet [_because the old man's dead_].

It hurts [_like a bitch, I would say, because I never knew what my father suffered like until now_].

-

**I've always thought of Gokudera as so devoted to Vongola that he would neglect his own family. Thus, this is what Emi has grown up with (the anger and the frustration) and the regret Gokudera feels towards that. This was for KusajishiFuktaicho who wanted an angst fic. xD**

**- the e t e r n a l -STORY**


	2. Drunk

**Drunk**

Drabble Summary: The kids could've sworn that it was just some juice. Really.

**-**

"Sawada."

Tsuna paled, as Hibari looked up at him with barely concealed anger in his eyes. Hibari was angry. Hibari was _really really _angry. And the fact that his tonfa had been let out of their box only solidified that statement.

Of course, it wasn't just Hibari. All of his Guardians were now giving him barely concealed looks of disgust, except for Yamamoto and Gokudera, who were laughing and looking bewildered, respectively.

He was going to have to go after Lal and Bianchi, for letting this happen.

It wasn't just the fact that it was illegal. He was pretty damn sure the kids had tried it before, along with driving. But it was the fact that they had walked in on this chaos and no one appeared to be sober in the least, that was a little frightening and very, very mind scarring.

Katashi was sprawled on the ground, his shirt pushed up to let his hand rest on his stomach, snoring very loudly and with his glasses falling off of his face. He had clearly passed out, and was snoring happily.

Tsuna rubbed his temples. This was not the way he'd expected to see his son drunk. Maybe at a more appropriate age. Maybe never.

Of course, Emi was sitting in the corner, cuddling another bottle of vodka to her chest, completely dead to the world as she cheerfully murmured a nonsensical song to the bottle. Her hair was disheveled and coming loose of its short ponytail, and from the looks of her neck, _someone_ was an affectionate drunk. That someone would be behind the couch, only visible because he was tall enough that his feet poked out from behind it and a mop of brown hair could be seen from the other side.

Gokudera was spluttering angrily, pointing from Emi to Shirou's feet and yelling death threats to Yamamoto. "IF MY DAUGHTER GETS PREGNANT BECAUSE OF YOUR IDIOT-"

"Maa, maa, Gokudera." Yamamoto was restraining Gokudera, pinning his arms behind him. "Look, kissing can't get people pregnant, I thought that was common knowledge-"

"I AM GOING TO _KILL_ YOU BOTH-"

"Look Gokudera, you're not being rational-"

"THE WORLD CAN BE MUCH BETTER OFF WITHOUT YOU TWO-"

"Hey, hey, calm down..."

Tsuna was very grateful that it had been a guy's night out. If the girls were there right now, he'd never hear the end of it. As it was, the fact that Rin and Hitomi had been found in the bathroom, looks of disgust written on Ryohei's face, it was clear that they were kind of alcohol intolerant and someone was going to have to clean that mess up. Alessa was talking to herself underneath the loveseat, and her limp hand still somewhat clutching another bottle was sticking out from underneath it.

Itsuki was slumped in the corner, looking anything but clean and dignified as usual, and it was clear from the jagged holes in the wall that he was a very belligerant drunk.

"Sawada." Hibari repeated again, and Tsuna winced as he turned around to face his very angry Cloud Guardian.

"Yes, Hibari?" He replied meekly, knowing it was his fault for leaving the alcohol so in the open.

Itsuki rolled over, mumbling something about herbivores and scratching at his messy blue hair, a sai slipping from his hand.

"If you don't lock up the alcohol in the future, I am going to have to _bite you to death."_

The dramatic effect was lost, as Dino's yell of horror from upstairs showed that he had just found Bianchi and Lal.

-

**Haha, CRACK!FIC! I just thought it up as I wondered what it would be like if the Next!Gen randomly all got drunk. I was originally planning on making Itsuki and Hibari completely alcohol intolerant for the lulz, but belligerent drunk just fits them better. So I guess Rin and Hitomi aren't so extreme in that respect after all o.o;**

**- the e t e r n a l -STORY**


End file.
